In what seems like an eternity ago, Crave posted an item about a dual-LCD concept that was designed as a digital newspaper of sorts, folding at the center like a broadsheet. Now, finally, some universities are reportedly working on a prototype based on similar principles for e-books.

Researchers from Berkeley and Maryland are developing a dual-screen reader with digital pages that can be turned by way of a built-in trackball, according to Engadget. And for flexibility the two displays can be separated and viewed horizontally if needed.

There have been other double-display portable computers on the market, though none made specifically made for book reading, and they have been prohibitively expensive. As prices for Amazon's Kindle and other conventional e-book readers continue to drop, it may be cheaper to just get two of them instead.